Love, sex 3 times more fatal than terrorism

Love and sex lead the heartbroken to kill three times more people than terrorism and political violence put together.

The National Crime Records Bureau has compiled statistics about 22 lakh crimes that took place in the country in 2010 that reveals love affairs and sexual causes was the third largest reason for people to kill, next only to personal enmity and property disputes.

In its latest report — Crime in India — the NCRB says love affairs and sex was the motive for 2,302 murders.

This accounts for 7.1% of the 33,335 murders in the country. In comparison, terrorism across the country killed just about 537 people. Another 124 people were murdered due to political reasons while dowry prompted 1,308 murders.

A store manager in Bangalore was one such jilted lover. Earlier this month, Ravi Singh allegedly killed the man who was friendly with his co-worker Aparna in Bangalore and then stabbed her. He jumped out of the window when the woman raised an alarm and broke a few bones.

But this doesn’t mean heartbroken Indians go around killing their partners, or friends.

Fresh statistics on suicides — also compiled by statisticians from NCRB — indicate they are more likely to kill themselves.

It counted 4,166 instances of love affairs prompting people to commit suicide. Suspicions that their partner had an illicit relationship prompted 1,336 people to kill themselves. Failed marriages that end up in divorce drove another 290 people to suicide.

As compared to murders, personal motives account for smaller proportion of the 1.34 lakh people who committed suicide last year.

It is their inability to deal with family problems and prolonged illness, that leads four out of every ten people who commit suicide, to kill themselves.